Welcome to the Penn Museum blog. First launched in January 2009, the Museum blog now has over 800 posts covering a range of topics in the categories of Museum, Collection, Exhibitions, Research, and By Location. Here you’ll hear directly from our staff and Penn students about their work, research, experiences, and discoveries. To explore the Museum's other digital content, visit The Digital Penn Museum.

The statue represents a Spirit Wife. In Baule culture, both men and women are thought to have spirit spouses, supernatural husbands and wives that must be cherished before accepting a human husband or wife. A Spirit Wife is known as a Bloto Bla and a Spirit Husband is called a Bloto Bain. In order to appease […]

Above, is an image of a Clovis Projectile Point, a type of arrowhead found commonly in the United States Southwest. The name Clovis comes from Clovis, New Mexico, where these projectile points were first discovered buried amid extinct bison bones. The Clovis Projectile Point is characterized by it’s chipping. The maker would overlap flaking by […]

This textile of dyed and sewn silk is sometimes called a Lamba, a garment worn by men and women in Madagascar. The dyes used are believed to be aniline, an organic compound, which can produce the maroon, purple, green, cerise and gold stripes. This design features two stripes of unbleached natural color silk sewn alongside three […]

This huipil or blouse is made of cotton and silk fibers. It consists of two pieces of material woven together. Most notable are the randa- elaborate shoulder bands. These designs portray animals and double headed eagles in colors like lavender, yellow, white, deep rose, green, purple silk and red cotton. This blouse is an example of […]

This thin, wooden board is a tablet used in Koranic schools to practice writing. An Abrahamic prayer is written across the tablet in Arabic. The tablet has a hole at the top center that is drawn with a string to hang it on the wall. Tablets like these often have Koranic verses inscribed on them. […]

It’s hard to believe that our year here is coming to an end. We’re wrapping up the final details and writing our final reports on our IMLS Pachacamac Survey Project. When I wrote my last blog post, we were in full photography and housing mode. I am delighted to report that we have finished that […]

Within the relative comfort of a 21st century museum, it is easy to forget the sacrifices, challenges, and dedication involved in the discovery of antiquities. All too frequently when we see glamorous vases, sarcophagi glistening with gold, and jewelry enlivened with lapis lazuli, we assume that these objects tell the entire glorious story of both […]

This 19th century house post comes from the Tlingit culture of northwest Alaska. This house post is an excellent example of the artistry and skill of the Tlingit people. It was made for the Kaagwaantaan clan or wolf clan. It’s iconography centers on the wolf and the bear. The house post is carved of wood […]

Last night was a perfect combination of cool summer weather, eclectic sounds and belly dancing (of course). For pictures from the event, including belly dancing Quinn, click here! It was a well rounded evening when you add in the presence of non-for-profit groups like Alex’s Lemonade Stand and New Leash on Life. The latter is […]

This sculpture from the 16 century, from Thailand, shows a standing Buddha. He stands very straight, in the center of a lotus throne and is draped in a transparent robe and sarong-like undergarment. His body is shown with large, square shoulders and a chiseled waist line which, taken allegorically, makes a connection between his physical […]